High School Hearts
by Gryffindor-RikkuChan
Summary: Kelsi is chosen by the Keyblade, and she travels to find Troy and Gabriella with Donald, Goofy, and little Kairi, while saving the fate of all worlds. Who is the mysterious girl who shares a connection with Gabriella? GT


**Note before reading!!: **First off, I don't want bull like 'Troy should be Sora', 'Why Kelsi is friends Troy and Gabriella', 'Why are you giving Kelsi the Keyblade,' or 'Are Kelsi and Gabriella going to be together as a couple?'

Yeah, the main cast is Kelsi as Sora, Gabriella as Kairi, and Troy as Riku, it will still have Goofy and Donald, but I will be adding Kairi, Sora, and Riku also. So don't give me bull about characters. Alright?!

Summary: East High Islands is a place where music and fun lives. Three young teenagers, Troy, Kelsi, and Gabriella dream of seeing other worlds far beyond their island home. One stormy night, Kelsi is separated from her two best friends, and meets the court wizard and knight sent to find the one of the 'key', she also meets a shy little girl who shares a strange connection to Gabriella. Can Kelsi save the fate of the worlds and find her friends?

Pairings: Troy x Gabriella, Cloud x Aerith, Kairi x Sora

Characters belong to Disney and SquareSoft.

* * *

High School Hearts

Prologue The voice that calls

"_I've been having…these weird thoughts lately…Like…is any of this…for real? Or not?"_

She felt this strange sensation of falling into an abyss.

It was cold.

It was dark.

It felt like…like she was falling into the depths of the ocean.

She leaned back, letting go, allowing herself to continue to drift away. She was falling faster now. The sensation was incredible, unreal, words could not describe it. The air that rushed over her skin was ice cold and soothing. It felt like freezing water, but at the same time like cold air. And the freedom that went with that feeling was amazing. The teen found the experience exhilarating and ethereal, when suddenly, it stopped. Just like that, it stopped.

The teen's bright blue eyes spanned open, and there was suddenly a flash of brilliant light. There, before her, was an expanse of ocean. Her sneakers were digging into the beach sand as the waves withdrew from the shore just inches in front of her toes. She was standing in front of an ocean; behind her was East High Islands…her home. But hadn't she just been falling into what seemed like the ocean? The teen had to shield her eyes from the bright midday sunlight, though it didn't take long for her eyes to adjust to the sudden change of setting.

There was someone standing in the water. The teen squinted her eyes at the figure. Shoulder length brown hair, very tall, somewhat tanned skin. He was strong, the muscles on his arms proved it. The girl recognized him. Wasn't that…? Troy? The teen grinned mischievously. It was the perfect opportunity to play a trick on him. She took a step forward, ready to charge to at her friend. But when she took her step into the water, there was no water beneath her foot. She hadn't heard the splash of water underneath her sneaker, nor had she felt it. The girl checked to see if she was simply imaging things. No…It seemed like the water was receding away…From her!

Just then, her eyes caught on something. It was…a tidal wave! Going straight for Troy! Troy could see it as clear as day; it was barely twenty yards in front of him, huge, and coming fast. Yet he paid no mind to it. And then, as if someone had called his name, Troy turned around to face the teen standing on the shores of the ocean and stared at her with knowing blue eyes. He looked as though he was smiling as he extended his right hand to his friend.

The teen charged into the water, one hand extended to grab her companion to save him from the tidal wave, which were now just a few feet behind him. The tip of the wave curled into itself as it hit shore. She knocked back by the powerful wave, and found herself pushed under the water, despite how shallow it had been earlier. It had swallowed both the teen and Troy, but Troy looked as though the water hadn't touched him. He was still standing, exact in the same position as before the wave had hit. He opened his hand even more, extending it to his friend. Didn't she want Troy's help?

She struggled against the water current, still trying desperately grab to Troy's open hand, when the current suddenly grew stronger and she was thrown backwards, flipping and spinning. She attempted to yell out, but only ended up with mouth full of water. Her eyes were forced shut and her lungs began to burn with the need for air. When she managed to open her eyes, the midday sun had been replaced by orange sunset. She thrust her head up out of the water, gasping for air, shaking the water out of her short messy dark chocolate brown hair. After a brief moment, the teen came to her senses and tired to regain her bearing. She was still in the ocean in front of East High Islands.

"Kelsi! Kelsi! Over here, Kelsi!"

Kelsi turned in the direction of the voice that was calling her name. There on the beach was a girl with long black hair and bright brown eyes, waving and calling her name with a beautiful wide smile across her face. She was completely bathed in the orange tint of the setting sun. She wouldn't stop screaming her name. Kelsi grinned and waved back at her just as happily.

"Gabriella!"

She hurried over toward her, pulling herself through orange gleaming waves to reach him. Gabriella only continued to giggle and smile. As she reached the shoreline, Kelsi looked at her, somewhat breathless, yet managing to give her, her best grin. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at the goofy smile on her face, throwing her head back slightly. Her smile suddenly faded as she blinked in confusion, her attention shifting skyward. There was something in the sky. And no, she wasn't being a ditz upon seeing her first cloud. There was something in the sky. The expression on her face caught Kelsi by surprise and she looked into the sky to what she was looking at.

Early shooting stars glimmered against the fiery sky; making shadows and highlights on something that was falling. Gabriella gasped at the sight, as Kelsi blinked in disbelief. What in the world was falling? Kelsi squinted and adjusted her glasses to make out the features of the object. Was it…? Yes, it was a person! Kelsi looked even harder at it. It wasn't just any person…It was her!

Kelsi's blue eyes widened at the sudden realization, and she suddenly had the sensation of falling, as though the ground beneath her was simply given way. Gabriella turned to look at her, gasping. She was falling! But how could it be? She was standing on the beach, next to Gabriella, and she wasn't falling. She looked up, or rather, down, trying to see where she would land, but there was no ground in sight. She then turned to Gabriella, extending a hand, pleading for her help. But she could do nothing more than reach for her. It was as though she was standing on some invisible platform that had him nailed down. Kelsi opened her mouth and began to shout her name, but nothing escaped her throat. And then, much to her shock, the image of Gabriella vanished, broken by a ripple as though she had been nothing more than a reflection on the surface of the water.

She leaned back. She knew at this point that it was no use to cry for help. Nothing could reach her out here, falling into the sunset. Is it a dream? Suddenly, in a flash of light, Kelsi found herself surrounded by a great blue, as though she was right back where she'd started, falling into what seemed like the ocean. She spun and twirled through water-like atmosphere, falling headfirst until her legs grew heavy, and when she opened her eyes (with some effort) she found herself flipping right-side up. Her feet touched ground.

Kelsi looked around. Nothing but darkness, not a soul in sight. No Troy, nor Gabriella. Kelsi summoned up all her courage she took a brave step forward, and as she did so, a blinding came up from below her. She had to shield her eyes as the darkness she was standing on broke away and flew off. Kelsi looked at the piece of blackness that were flying away, and realized that those creatures were not dark fragments. They were birds. They were doves, to be more exact. Kelsi gasped at them, their white feathers drifting downward all around her. Until finally, they had all fluttered deeper into the blackness that surrounded her.

Kelsi turned her head slightly to the right, so she was looking over her shoulder, then looked straight ahead of her once again. She was truly all by herself. She was on a small circular platform that seemed to be floating in the darkness. There was picture of a girl with short black hair in a yellow and blue dress holding a apple spread across it, and all around her were the faces of seven little men, each of which to express a different emotion or trait.

But Kelsi wasn't interested in the giant picture. She wanted to know where she was-and she wanted to know right and then. She ran one hand through her short straight dark chocolate brown hair. What to do…? Suddenly, Kelsi heard a voice-it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once…Perhaps it came from within her. Wherever it had come from, it caused the teen to look back over her right shoulder. She tried to follow the voice, slowly moving her head from the right side and to the left in an attempted to pinpoint the voice's source…

_So much to do…So little time…Take your time._

Kelsi was at a loss. Take her time? But there was only "so little time", wasn't there? She found herself confused and almost frightened by this series of events. What in the world was happening!

_But don't be afraid. The door is still shut._

The door? What door?

_Now, step forward. Can you do it?_

For a moment, she wasn't sure if she could. Her feet suddenly felt extremely heavy, as if she had grown roots and was suddenly stuck to the spot. Kelsi looked around for a while, wondering if she ought to obey the strange voice. Then, swallowing hard, she lifted her white Converse sneaker up off the ground and took a step forward. Then another. And another. The belt that dangled around her waist jumped as she moved, and her necklace, with the dark red stone piece and gold bead, a gift from Gabriella when she arrived, rocked back and forth with her movement. She managed to cross over to the center of the platform and stood still, as though awaiting further instructions from the strange voice.

_Power sleeps within you_

Suddenly, a beam of light appeared on her right. Kelsi turned her head to look at it, and it that was a stone tablet bearing a red shield had risen up from the part of the floor that the light had touched.

_If you give it form…_

Kelsi spun around just in time to see another beam of light fall upon the surface of the platform to her left, and saw another stone tablet had appeared, this time bearing a green wand bearing a blue symbol on its top. Three circles, one big and two smaller ones attached to it. She then noticed that the shield bore the same symbol.

…_It will give you strength._

Yet another beam of light had appeared and summoned yet another stone tablet from the depths of the flooring. Kelsi turned her head. This one had appeared right in front of her. This stone tablet held a broad sword with a gold and blue hilt. All three objects spun around in place just above the stones. Kelsi looked at each item, baffled, when the voice came once more.

_Choose well._

After a moment's hesitation and thought, Kelsi stepped toward the platform that held the sword. She pulled herself up onto the platform and took the sword into her hands. Upon further inspection, Kelsi saw a small red circle on the hilt, and inside it was the symbol of the three circles that she'd seen on the other items. She stared at the sword in awe, her blue eyes wide in wonder. It felt good in her hands. Like she was born to wield it.

_The power of the warrior. Invincible strength. A sword of terrible destruction…Is this the power you seek?_

Kelsi looked up into the blackness, still hoping the owner of the voice would reveal himself. After a moment of empty silence and darkness, she looked back at the sword in her hands and nodded "yes" in reply. The sword instantly vanished from her hands, breaking up into lights as though it had made of fireflies. She was alarmed to feel strength flow into her, her body was absorbing the light of the sword!

_Your path is set. Now…what will you give in exchange?_

She slowly turned around to look at the remaining two items: the shield and the wand. "Give up"…? She had to give up one of those in exchange of her newfound power? Kelsi jumped from the platform that once held the sword and looked at each of the items. What to give up? She started for the shield, but stopped when she reached the center of the platform. No. Who wanted to be strong and weak all at the same time? She had no choice. Her eyes drifted from the shield to the wand. She swallowed hard and walked toward it. She pulled herself onto the platform and, looking sadly at the item before her. She had decided. Gently took the wand into her hands.

_The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?_

The wand seemed to be nothing short of amazing in itself. It had a very simple design, which would probably make it not only useful for magic, but for bashing things with as well. Her fingers fiddled with the blue circles at the top as she tore her eyes away from the wand and looked back into the darkness. Once again, Kelsi nodded. Similar to the sword, the wand broke into lights, and the teen watched silently as the lights wicked out one by one-she was not absorbing them this time around.

_You have chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?_

She had to wonder why the strange voice kept saying aloud what her choice had been. But once again, she nodded her approval. Yeah. That sounded pretty good. Kelsi turned on her heel, awaiting further orders from the voice. Yet as she waited for the voice, there was a large jolt that almost knocked her off the grey platform. She looked down at her feet and realized the platform was sinking into the stained glass image.

There was another jolt, and Kelsi tumbled from the stone tablet onto the colored glass. She stood up quickly, realizing that the glass, too, was shattering. The pieces flew up around her and vanished into the darkness. Kelsi hoped briefly that she wouldn't fall, but when the glass broke beneath her, she was disappointed to find her hopes false.

She ended up falling with quite impressive speed. There was no light around; she was engulfed in the darkness. Where had she been taken? Kelsi didn't think she'd ever find out. She must be dreaming. But this felt so real…And it was lasting longer than any dream she'd ever had before. So…what was happening to her?

Her hair was fluttering about wildly into her majestic blue eyes as she plummeted further into the darkness. Kelsi's eyes strained to catch the glimmer of light that wasn't going to come for awhile. The darkness seemed to last forever-which was bad news for her. Most people her age probably didn't agree, but she thought that darkness, whether it be just the dark of night or the deeper darkness of, well, this place, for example…It just seemed to hold some kind of evil.

Suddenly, like a ray of hope, Kelsi's eyes managed to catch onto something that glowed a brilliant blue. She gazed at it intently, as though it was her savior. She eventually realized that it was another platform, just like the one before. It, too, had a girl painted upon it like the stained glass windows of churches she'd seen in books. But this girl was a brunette, and wore a long blue dress. And in place of the seven men, she saw pictures that seemed to tell some kind of story-it had something to do with a prince and some special kind of shoe.

After a moment, Kelsi's feet touched the smooth surface, and everything she'd noticed was forgotten. A sword had appeared in her hands, almost instantaneously. She examined it carefully, and discovered that it was the very sword she'd chosen on the other platform. She checked it again. Yes, it had the three circles on it.

_You've gained the power to fight. Take a swing._

Kelsi had almost completely forgotten about the voice. It had surprised her and she jumped back a bit, but once the surprise had faded away, she did as she was told. She took the sword in both hands and swung it around, like she did with her wooden sword often.

_Use this power to protect yourself and others._

As if she couldn't figure that out for herself. Kelsi almost laughed aloud. Her cheery grin, however, was wiped away when a dark spot appeared on the platform. She spun around in place to face it and leaned forward, examining it, watching a strange black like-creature that was taking shape with ever so curious blue eyes. What was it? Was it dangerous? Would it hurt her?

_There will be times you have to fight._

As Kelsi watched, another spot emerged, and ever more amazing was that the creature had risen out of its two-dimensional form and stood before her. By this she was aback, and unwittingly took a small step backward. Looked like one of those times. Kelsi clenched the sword in both hands and watched, her blue eyes wide in shock.

_Keep your light burning strong._

Suddenly, the creature jumped at her in an attempt to attack. Kelsi leapt back, and then ran around to the side so she was directly behind it; and then took three good swings at the creature. The creature exploded into black mist with her third swing. The other, similar creatures flattened themselves into the floor and vanished. Kelsi spun around several times, checking, making sure there was no more shadow creatures.

_Behind you!_

The voice had caught her off guard again. Kelsi spun around so quickly to face the shadow that approached her that she almost slipped. She swung the sword wildly before her, and to her great luck, the blade struck the shadow in what appeared to be its chest, making the creature vanished with explosion of darkness. Only one was left now. Kelsi struggled to regain her footling, turning around fiercely and glaring at the monster. She was about ready to attack it when the creature flattened itself into the floor, vanishing into a dark blotch that formed beneath it.

Kelsi were aback by the black patch's sudden appearance. A rumbling noise. Kelsi's head snapped in the direction it had come from. Her eyes went wide as she saw more of the dark blotches. They were spreading across the platform. Within moments, more of the large dark blotches began to appear on the blue glass-like surface. First near the circular rim, and then everywhere. Spreading, like a disease. Kelsi looked down near her feet. These dark patches…they were everywhere! All around them! For the first time, a sad expression appeared across Kelsi's face as she realized with dismay that she couldn't move. Not because her body wouldn't obey her, but because if she did, she would step into darkness…And who knew what would happen if she did that?

Either way it didn't matter; the dark void appeared right under their feet. Kelsi immediately sank into the darkness, and they gasped in shock as they did so. That's when everything seemed to move in slow motion. This shadow…This darkness…It was like quicksand, expect for the texture…It was like ice-cold air pulling at her skin, pulling her into some cold, dark void.

It felt cold. It felt wrong. It felt…evil.

She couldn't stand it. While the stuff was crawling up to her waist, Kelsi tried to lift herself out of it, tried to pull herself toward what was left of the glowing blue platform, tried to grab hold of something-anything-that could help her.

The darkness was up to her neck now. Kelsi threw up a hand, hoping that someone would grab her and pull her back to where it is safe…

Swallowing her face. Kelsi's blue eyes went wide in terror as the last of her vanished.

She struggled as though her life depended on escaping that darkness, her eyes shut tight and her breath held as though that would help repel the evil the darkness held. But after a moment, Kelsi gasped for air, her eyes opening wide and her hands grabbing the nearest object in her reach. She was grateful to find her hand press against a smooth, glass-like surface, and see a soft purple glow out of the corner of her eye. She looked around cautiously, and then slowly rolled onto her stomach, happier than ever to find that she'd ended up on another platform.

This one, however, did not have distant image of a girl on it. This platform had three purple hearts on it, each of which showed a white silhouette of a girl, the same girl in all three hearts. Who she was and what her story was, Kelsi would probably never know. There was nothing else on this stained glass platform, save a beam of light coming out of the seemingly endless darkness, coming out at an angle. Kelsi followed the light with her eyes and saw what it was pointing at. There, jotting out of the surface of the platform, just in front of her eyes, was a large arched door.

Kelsi stood up and walked around the door, examining it, and the stopped right in front of it. It had a beautiful ornate pattern all over it: around the handles, on the edge, where the double doors met…It seemed to be somehow important, though Kelsi couldn't exactly pinpoint how so. It didn't seem to lead anywhere-just to the other side of itself. It was slightly transparent, but it was standing there. She placed both hands on the door's surface and pushed.

'_I can't open it…'_

She folded her arms and placed one hand thoughtfully under her chin. Now what? There was nothing else here, right? Kelsi turned herself around, and noticed that another beam of light had appeared. She followed the light column down to where it met the platform, and saw a peculiar red chest that had appeared. Baffled, she walked toward the chest and knelt next to it. Kelsi opened the chest, only to find whatever had inside vanished. It left only a few twinkles of light behind in the chest. She sighed and closed it again, then stood and looked at the door. And when she did so, she gasped in surprise.

It was no longer transparent. Kelsi blinked in confusion. But…how…? She walked back to it, but before she could lay her hands on it, she heard a strange noise coming from within. She took a few steps back. If anything was coming out of there, she didn't want to get in its way. Then it was silent. Kelsi looked at the door again, starting from the bottom to the top. What was happening? Then the double doors began to part, ever so slowly.

A bright white light was emitted from within, so powerful she had to shield her eyes from it. The door opened itself wide, inviting Kelsi to enter. She looked down at the floor, and then slowly raised her eyes upward to the light, allowing her eyes adjust to the brightness of it. She then began to step toward it. Kelsi leaned forward as she walked, curious now as to what was creating the light, or what the light was hiding. But the light grew stronger and stronger, until it finally had swallowed her up within.

After a moment, Kelsi could hear the sound of water rushing up onto shore. When she reopened her eyes, she found herself back on the island, up on one of the wooden platforms that had been built in the trees. She looked around in confusion. What was she doing back here? Had she woken up from this dream? If so, why did she found herself still standing? Was it possible to fall asleep standing? Kelsi found herself hoping beyond hope that she'd finally manage to wake up.

_Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself._

Nope. Kelsi sighed in dismay. The presence of that voice…It meant she was still in this…this bizarre dream world. Kelsi looked up from the floor, and gasped when she saw the girl sitting on the wooden railing. She was stretching her limbs and yawning as though she had just woken up from a good nap and swinging her legs playfully back and forth. She recognized the way her auburn hair curled sideward, and her brown eyes, and her green dress. Yes, Kelsi knew her. She smiled and stepped forward to greet her, when she suddenly turned to look at her. Kelsi was shocked at the hardness and wisdom she saw in her young brown eyes.

"What's most important to you?" she asked, her voice crystal clear.

Kelsi stared back at her, hoping to see her break. But it never happened. Kelsi sighed, surrendering. She didn't even have to think about the answer to that question. "Friendship."

"Is friendship such a big deal?" The girl's expression didn't change as she looked away.

A strange sense of panic washed over her. She began to back up quickly, but in doing so almost flipping over the edge of the platform and fell into the water. Kelsi grabbed onto the edge of the platform and pulled herself back up onto it. As she tried to catch her breath, she saw a pair of sandals just inches away from her nose. Kelsi raised her head up to find another one of the kids she recognized from the island. The boy was dark sandy blonde hair, wearing a short white and red shirt and blue shorts, holding what looked like a cookbook in his hand. He had the same hardness and wisdom in his face as the girl.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asked, his voice also ringing out as clear as day.

She looked at the boy before her as though he was crazy. Kelsi had to wonder if these were really the friends she knew, or just images that the strange voice had pulled from her memory. It didn't matter. The voice had said to tell him more about herself. Kelsi sighed in defeat, but she had to think about this question. She wasn't sure what her fear was.

"Being…being indecisive."

"Being indecisive? Is it really that scary?" He looked away after that, just like the girl had.

It was as if Kelsi held nothing of interest to them, or if they didn't want anyone to see them talking to her. And it was scaring Kelsi beyond belief. Kelsi hesitantly moved backward. She had this place memorized. She knew all the pathways, the trees, docks, the plants…the whole island by heart. So she headed straight for the way off the platform, but instead bumped into another one of her friends from the island.

This one was pretty tall, with hair that seemed curled with a curling iron. He was fiddling around with something similar to basketball, spinning it around on one finger and watching its movement intently. However when Kelsi bumped into him, the boy's attention turned from his ball to Kelsi's nervous figure. As Kelsi was about to apologize for bumping into him, the boy spoke, his voice just as loud and clear as the two kids before him.

"What do you want outta life?" he asked, somewhat causally.

By now, Kelsi had decided it was best not to argue with the voice's will. The quickest way to get out of this dream, this nightmare, this premonition, was probably to answer all the questions. Kelsi straightened so she was looking straight into the boy's eyes, and tried to think without flinching. It took her a while, but she finally came up with an answer.

"To see rare sights."

"To see rare sights, huh?" It looked like the kid was going to laugh at her answer, and to Kelsi's extreme surprise, the boy didn't look away as though he'd lost interest. This boy lingered amusedly on Kelsi's face, until finally turning away as though he had to go off and laugh by himself. Kelsi almost grew angry, and was about to step forward to smack him one, when she found that her feet was glued to the floor.

_Your adventure begins at midday._

The voice!

_Keep a steady pace and you'll come through fine._

Kelsi grew confused. What was that supposed to mean? Midday? Her adventure?

_The day you will open the door is both far off and very near._

The door? Did it mean the door that she'd seen on the other platform? The one that she was now allowed to enter? Kelsi was suddenly blinded by a great white light, and stumbled forward as she waited for it to dim. When it did, Kelsi found herself somewhere else, on another one of those stained glass platforms that floated in darkness. Kelsi's footsteps became steady as she crossed the platform. She examined the image on the surface.

Another girl…with long blonde hair in a blue dress. She seemed to be asleep, but was surrounded by throny vines. Kelsi moved across, still examining the picture, when a beam of light shot down onto the girl's face. Kelsi looked up to where the light seemed to be coming from, and then walked over to where it seemed to pointing. Yet as she reached it, she found herself surrounded by the little shadow creatures from before. The sword appeared suddenly in her hand as Kelsi ran toward the first in her reach and slashed at it ferociously until it disappeared into a burst of black fire. The rest of the shadows huddled together as they began what seemed to be some kind of group charge. Kelsi could hardly help smirk as three wide swings of her sword defeated the entire group at once.

She straightened, confident now that all the little shadows were gone. Kelsi turned their attention back to the beam of light, but this time it had moved. It was no longer on the girl's face. It had moved downward, and then created a circle imprint. The outline looked like white fire, ever burning and seeming to grow stronger all the time. Kelsi ran toward it, dropping to her knees as she reached it. Kelsi stretched one hand into the circle and, feeling nothing out of the ordinary, stepped inside it. She was starting to think that she was on some kind of training mission. Either that or a wild goose chase.

As they stood there, waiting for the voice to speak up before Kelsi forgot it, the beam of light moved again. This time it went all the way over the edge, and as soon as it did so, a series of square stained-glass platforms appeared, making a sort of stairway up to another place. Kelsi was pretty sure that it was another stained-glass image platform. She looked around, and seeing that there was nothing more to do on that platform, she ran toward the stairway and hurried up it, careful to not slip and fall into the pit of darkness that surrounded her on all sides.

The brilliant yellow glow of this particular platform was the first thing that Kelsi saw. And there, right in the middle, just like all the other platforms before it, was a boy. Another brunette, this time wearing a expansive, looking yellow dress. She was quite the beauty, but just behind her was the face of a hideous. Yet, both of them looked quite peaceful-neither of seemed afraid or anger. Forming a around them were the silhouettes of various people: candelabrums, clocks, and even several items from a tea set.

Kelsi pushed the thoughts out of her mind and looked that beam of light. She found it just above the center of the platform. She smiled slightly as they stepped toward it, curious now, as it wasn't running away. She stepped underneath the light and gazed up at where it seemed to come from. And then the voice that Kelsi'd been waiting for made its presence known.

_The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes._

Kelsi was no longer sure if the voice was being cryptic or literal. Though confusion reigned over her, Kelsi slowly turned around to look at her shadow. Sure enough, there it was. Darker then she'd seen it before, reaching all the way from the center of the circular platform to the very edge. Her shadow turned slightly to face her, adjusting itself so that it looked like it was lying down on the floor, so it was looking at Kelsi straight in the eye.

Kelsi's heart stopped for a second. She hadn't done that.

Then suddenly, the shadow began to pull itself up out of the floor. Kelsi stepped back in alarm, starring as it began to change its shape. It had at first looked just like her, but now its hair stretched reaching out from its scalp, some of which chose to wrap itself around the creature's head. Two eyes began to glow yellow from deep within the mask of dark tentacles. Its fingers stretched and sharpened into sharp black claws. Its feet became smaller, curving inward as you followed it to the toe. Kelsi stepped slowly backward.

_But don't be afraid._

A giant-shaped hole appeared in the chest area. Kelsi could see right through it. "My God." Kelsi said to herself. The shadow had grown to immense proportions. It loomed over Kelsi, dark and menacing, staring down at her with glowing yellow glows. Kelsi took small steps backward, one hand held slightly upward, hoping that it would see she didn't want to fight it. But somehow, Kelsi felt that she was about to.

_And don't forget…_

Kelsi's eyes widened in fear as the creature completed itself. Kelsi stumbled backward, gasping in terror, trying to escape. She ran, still staring over her shoulder at the giant shadow creature. It was just standing there, as if it were waiting. She continued to run, but nearly slipped over the edge. She'd forgotten. There was no way out. She was on a large circular platform floating in darkness. Where could she possibly run? She began to teeter on the edge of the platform, but thankfully managed to shift her weight on back onto the platform. A look of despair appeared on Kelsi's face. Kelsi swallowed hard and spun around to face the creature. Kelsi had no choice but to fight it. She stared at the monster as it straightened itself to its full length.

It…was…_huge_.

She gripped the sword tight in her hands, and then ran forward the shadow. Its gigantic frame grew as she came closer, becoming more and more frightening as she approached. But Kelsi had learned a long time ago to swallow her fear. Kelsi ran at the nearest available limb of the creature-its right hand. Unfortunately for Kelsi, the hand seemed to be creating a purple energy sphere. Its first attack, evidently. Kelsi didn't care. She followed the hand at all costs, as if she had a lock on it. Even when the creatures raised into the air and then slammed it onto the platform. The purple energy had disappeared as a black patch had appeared underneath its palm.

The hand was resting on the ground. An opening! Kelsi leapt in the air; sword raised, and began to swing wildly at it. Her swings didn't seem to do anything to the creature, but she had to keep trying. She slashed the fingers and the palm furiously, and followed that hand everywhere it went. She wouldn't let it get away from her.

Suddenly, Kelsi felt a sharp pain at her back. She spun around and saw some of the little creatures from before surrounding her. So that's what the giant had been doing: pulling little helpers out of the platform. Bastard. Kelsi slashed at them, too, pushing them further from her, then returned to the Black Hand. She leapt at it when it was high above her head, and swung her sword at it with all her strength when it was level with her. She didn't think about the little black creature, though they were attacking her from behind and weakening ferocity of her attack at the giant hand. It seemed to be luck that they moved themselves in the way of her sword and were attacked as well. And every time they disappeared, Kelsi felt her energy return.

Eventually, all the small shadows had vanished, but the giant had other means of attack. From the heart-shaped hole in the being's chest appeared a huge glowing sphere of purple energy. Even though her alarm, Kelsi didn't stop attacking the beast. Even when the energy sphere shattered into pieces and all those pieces came after her, Kelsi did not hesitate in her blitz. Even though every muscle in her body had told her to run, she had merely jumped into the air in order to keep her attack rolling.

She was starting to think that this battle was going to be hopeless. She switched her focus from hand to foot and back to the hand. Nothing seemed to be working. The giant continued slamming his fist into the floor, making it ramble to the point where Kelsi would lose her footing. The giant didn't even seem to notice that it was being attacked. And that's when Kelsi remembered. The creature's face! She'd read in a book somewhere about how the face would always be the weakest point on the fighter's body, since the muscles in the face couldn't be built, no matter what kind of training was endured. Kelsi jumped up onto the creature's arm and began to run up toward the monster's face, clutching the sword tightly in her grip.

"Hey, _ugly_!" Kelsi yelled as she reached the monster's face. "Your _face_ is _wide_ open!!"

Kelsi screeched to a halt in front of the monster's face. The head began to move slightly, acknowledging Kelsi's presence. She raised her sword high into the air and then swung the blade swiftly downwards, the blade slicing across the giant's face, right between the eyes. The creature roared in fury, everything seems like it was going in slow motion; Kelsi had won.

Kelsi slid down the monster's arm, planting her feet firmly on the stained glass platform and then spun around to face it. She moved quickly backward, away from the creature for the first time. She had won, but the giant hadn't disappeared yet. It was still standing there, still looming over her. Kelsi clutched the sword tighter in her hands, waiting for something to happen, when the sword suddenly vanished with a white light. She gasped in shock-she was weaponless! And the monster was still alive! Kelsi wanted to run, but she remembered where she was-a circular platform. Even so, she had to get away from the giant shadow monster. Even just being out of its reach would be enough.

She leapt backward again when the creature lashed out at her, swinging one mighty hand in an attempt to knock her off the platform. The shadow slammed his other hand down onto the platform as well, causing a great rumble in the ground beneath Kelsi's feet. The creature had fallen to its knees and glared at Kelsi with those terrible glowing yellow eyes.

Kelsi's knees suddenly gave way, and she tumbled and fell onto the ground. Kelsi felt all her fear return. She was powerless. She couldn't swallow the fear anymore. It felt like she was going to throw up all of her terror. She stared up at the creature, terrified, still trying to get away even though she was sitting on the ground. Kelsi kicked her feet, pushing the ground to help her get away, when suddenly she felt a familiar texture on her hands and legs. She risked taking a glance at the floor and was horrified by what she saw. It was one of those dark patches from the blue platform! One had formed underneath her! Her heart began to race, feeling like it was going burst from her clothes.

The monster stared down at Kelsi, those yellow eyes gleaming as though everything had gone according to its plan. She squirmed under the giant's gaze. Those horrible glowing yellow eyes…

_But don't be afraid._

Too late.

Kelsi tried to escape from the dark blotch that was below her, but this patch was different. Instead of slowly pulling her under like quicksand, it was reaching up to her with dark tentacle like things and holding her down. Along with its black tendrils was something that resembled black fire and smoke, curling around her limbs and holding Kelsi down just as firmly as the tendrils. The smoke and tendrils first began to wrap around Kelsi's legs, engulfing her in darkness. They seemed to hold her tightly; it even felt like a series of cold, soft hands had taken hold of her. Kelsi struggled under the feeling of it. She clenched her teeth, holding back a yell of frustration and terror.

The monster was still there, still glaring at her, but doing more than that. Its malicious glowing eyes burned into Kelsi. Kelsi's mind raced. She could do nothing more than to stare back at the monster, but…that malicious stare…

Suddenly, the creature raised itself so it was almost standing upright. As though it was planning to do something. Like delivering a final bow.

_You hold the mightiest weapon of all._

The voice seemed to be trembling.

Kelsi had finally managed to roll onto her stomach, even though those dark tendrils had wrapped around her entire torso. She tried to crawl over and grab the edge of the platform, but it wasn't working. She could barely gain more than a few inches. Kelsi stretched her arm out, but her hand couldn't reach the edge. Then the dark tentacles and the black fire began to grab hold of that hold. Now all of Kelsi's limbs had been caught by that dark stuff. There was nothing more she could do.

_So don't forget…_

The voice was definitely shaking.

She found herself slowly starting to sink into the dark patch as the tentacles began to engulf her. She turned around, checking to see if the giant shadow beast was still there. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she saw it there, still looming over her. It was leaning downward as though it was going to crush Kelsi with its body. Kelsi's eyes were wide with terror, begging for mercy. No. She didn't want to die here. Not here. Not in this bizarre place. No. Not here. Never here. Anywhere but here.

Black tendrils of fire and smoke reached up and began to wrap around Kelsi's face.

"Cold…and dark…so dark…"

_You are the one…who will open the door._

* * *

The sound of water crashing on the beach shore had slowly filled her senses. She opened her eyes and stared up at the blue sky. The large white clouds rolled lazily across the blue expense. She shielded her eyes from the sky as she stared up. It looked like midday, but she couldn't really tell.

'The sky's blue today…'

She switched her attention from the sky to whatever was lying in front of her. She pushed herself into a sitting position and propped herself up with her hands. It was the ocean. A great expense of beautiful blue ocean lying out before her. No mainland in sight. She smiled sleepily and yawned, than laid herself back down to get some more sleep. She lay down, finding herself suddenly lying in some shade. She lazily opened her eyes and looked up. Her view of the sky was obstructed by a girl.

"Whoa!"

She sat straight up, all her chains jingling at the sudden movement. Still on her knees, she turned herself around to her friend, her exposed knees rubbing against the beach sand. Both friends began to laugh at each other.

"Gimme a break, Gabriella."

Gabriella giggled, tucking a loose turf of her long wavy black hair behind his ear, and then stared straight into her companion's face, still grinning as though he knew she'd done something wrong. Her chocolate brown eyes were still laughing as she spoke in a tone that sounded just like a mother's.

"Kelsi, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."

Then she turned away, as if she were shunning her for her wrong doing, her nose lifted snobbishly in the air. She looked back at Kelsi out of the corner of her eye, waiting for her to laugh at her imitation.

"No! This huge, black thing swallowed me up!" Kelsi began to explain. The adrenaline had suddenly begun to run through her body, just like it did at the end of her dream. She tried her best to recall everything she'd seen, every detail, her blue eyes burning through the ground as she struggled to find words to explain. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-"

A hand dropped onto the top of her head. "Ow!" Kairi raised one hand and rubbed her new bruise.

"Are you still dreaming?" Gabriella laughed, dropping the false mom act. He leaned forward and stared straight into Kelsi's face.

"It wasn't a dream!" Kelsi protested. But her words caught in her throat. "Or… was it? I don't know…" Kelsi looked down at the sand, suddenly confused. Had it been really a dream? But it had felt so real… She then looked over her shoulder, toward the ocean, as though its deep depths held the answer to all his questions.

"What was that place?" she murmured, mostly to herself. "So bizarre…"

"Yeah sure." Kelsi looked up at Gabriella in surprise and slight dismay. She didn't believe her…?

Gabriella had given up making fun of Kelsi – for now. She walked causally toward the shoreline, and stopped just a few inches from where the water receded from the shore. Gabriella looked up at the sky at first, gazing at the white clouds as they rolled by. And then she turned to stare out to the horizon, as though she also believed that there was some big secret out there that she just had to know.

Kelsi turned her attention to Gabriella. "Say, Gabriella. What was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up."

She shifted her position so she was no longer kneeling on the sand (the texture was starting to hurt her knees) and turned slightly so that she was still facing Gabriella. She propped herself up with her arms, her gaze never drifting far from her.

She smiled at the question. "I've told you before, I don't remember."

"Nothing at all?" Kelsi sounded suspicious, and almost doubtful of her answer.

"Nothing." Gabriella had answered as if didn't bother her one bit.

"Do you ever wanna go back?"

"Mmm…Well, I'm happy here." Gabriella's smile deepened as the words came out.

"Really…" She was still doubtful. Kelsi finally looked away from Gabriella and stared out over the horizon, just like she was.

"But you know," Gabriella continued with a little giggle, "I wouldn't mind going to see it." She smiled at the thought.

"I'd like to see it too," Kelsi replied, fixing her gaze back on Gabriella and resting one arm on her knees. She grinned at her thoughts. "Along with any other worlds out there. I wanna see 'em all."

Gabriella giggled as she turned to face her friend with a nod. "So what're we waiting for?"

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?"

Both Kelsi and Gabriella turned around. There, standing with a log tucked one arm, was a boy. He was taller than both Kelsi and Gabriella. He had shoulder length brown hair, that stuck just about everywhere (but in the most stylish manner) and blue eyes that were almost aqua in color. He was well built for a fifteen-year-old, and held the thick log as though it was nothing. Kelsi grinned. She'd known this guy since…well, as far back she could remember. She and Troy had grown up together.

"So," Troy continued with a shake of his head, "I guess I'm the only one working on the raft."

Troy glanced at Kelsi with a slight smile, and tossed the log to her as he walked over to Gabriella. Kelsi yelled in surprise as she tried to catch it… and failed miserably. Troy laughed slightly than looked right at Gabriella, straight into her innocent brown eyes.

"And you're just as lazy as _she_ is," Riku finished, accusing Gabriella as he motioned toward Kelsi.

Kelsi made a face at Troy as she pulled closer the log to her.

Gabriella giggled. She put one hand behind her head in an embarrassed gesture, and feigned a wince as Troy spoke. "So, you noticed," she laughed, a sheepish grin spreading across her face. "Okay, we'll finish it together! I'll race you!"

"Huh?!"

Kelsi had seated herself on top of Troy's log, and looked up at Gabriella as though she was craziest person she'd ever met in her entire life. There was no way she was going to race both Troy and Gabriella after she'd just woken up.

Troy had seated himself down in the sand next to Kelsi. And then, as though Troy had read Kelsi's thoughts, he yelled out, exhausted that he'd been doing all day – alone, as it turned out. He rolled his blue eyes so he was looking up at Gabriella, the only one still standing.

"What, are you kidding?"

Gabriella paid no attention to their protests, and merely laughed at their expense. She then cupped his hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "Ready, go!"

The boy and the girl exchanged glances, then suddenly leap to their feet and began to run along the shoreline as fast as they could. Troy looked over at Kelsi, his face filled with laughter. Kelsi, on the other hand, looked absolutely determined to beat Troy in this race. Troy almost laughed at Kelsi's seriousness, and finally looked straight ahead. If Kelsi was going to try to win, then so was he. Gabriella laughed the entire run across the beach, bringing up the rear of the so-called "race". She couldn't stop laughing at them as she made her way toward the "boat ruins" on the other side of the island. Both Troy and Kelsi were way ahead of her, the two of them being neck in neck.

Kelsi finally looked over at Troy. The boy and the girl looked at each other as they ran for a moment, and then suddenly, both grinned at each other, as though there was some kind of joke just the two of them shared, and then continued their race. Kelsi's grin grew even bigger, the mysterious dream pushed out of her thoughts. Then the boy and the girl looked back at Gabriella, both of them grinning, and began to call out her name and urge her to run faster.

There was only this moment. This eternal summer that had been granted to the three of them in the form of an island paradise. There was only now. There was no door. No darkness. No mysterious voice. This place…

These were the East High Islands.

The passage to Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Please, R&R! For me!


End file.
